US: Acute flaccid myelitis cases in children are investigated in at least five states

Health authorities in the United States said this week that they were investigating an unusual spike in cases of a rare condition that causes limb paralysis and severe muscle weakness in children.

At least five states — Illinois, Washington, Colorado, Minnesota and Pennsylvania — reported that they were investigating the cause or trying to confirm new cases of the illness, known as acute flaccid myelitis. Some health authorities in those states have said the condition coincides with seasonal respiratory illnesses.

A.F.M. affects the nervous system and causes, mostly in children, paralysis similar to polio. The signs include sudden weakness in the arms or legs; neck weakness or stiffness; a drooping face or eyelids; difficulty swallowing; and slurred speech, health officials say.

Recent Cases

Since mid-September, six cases of A.F.M. in children under 10 years old have been reported to the Minnesota Department of Health, the agency said. Another two possible cases are pending confirmation, officials said.

The number of confirmed cases is the highest in the state since 2014, when there were three cases, the authorities said.

On Tuesday, the health authorities said three children suspected to have A.F.M. were being treated at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and officials in Colorado said they were investigating 14 cases this year.

On Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health said it had received reports of nine A.F.M. cases in people younger than 18, all from Northern Illinois. The state had previously recorded only four cases since 2015.

And in Washington State, officials said in a statement on Wednesday that they are working to confirm whether five children recently hospitalized with sudden paralysis of one or more limbs had A.F.M.

Health authorities in the United States said this week that they were investigating an unusual spike in cases of a rare condition that causes limb paralysis and severe muscle weakness in children.

At least five states — Illinois, Washington, Colorado, Minnesota and Pennsylvania — reported that they were investigating the cause or trying to confirm new cases of the illness, known as acute flaccid myelitis. Some health authorities in those states have said the condition coincides with seasonal respiratory illnesses.

A.F.M. affects the nervous system and causes, mostly in children, paralysis similar to polio. The signs include sudden weakness in the arms or legs; neck weakness or stiffness; a drooping face or eyelids; difficulty swallowing; and slurred speech, health officials say.

Recent Cases

Since mid-September, six cases of A.F.M. in children under 10 years old have been reported to the Minnesota Department of Health, the agency said. Another two possible cases are pending confirmation, officials said.

The number of confirmed cases is the highest in the state since 2014, when there were three cases, the authorities said.

On Tuesday, the health authorities said three children suspected to have A.F.M. were being treated at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and officials in Colorado said they were investigating 14 cases this year.

On Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health said it had received reports of nine A.F.M. cases in people younger than 18, all from Northern Illinois. The state had previously recorded only four cases since 2015.

And in Washington State, officials said in a statement on Wednesday that they are working to confirm whether five children recently hospitalized with sudden paralysis of one or more limbs had A.F.M.